Rūnanga Stories

There isn’t much Jack Kemp hasn’t turned his hand to – from farming in South Africa, England and Europe to shearing, owning a cobblestone business , running a backpackers, painting, carving, working as a coastguard and farming the family property at Moeraki – but it’s tourism he’s been most passionate about. Jack (Ngāi Tahu), is…

For Maurice and Heather Manawatu, their tourism business, Māori Tours Kaikōura is all about bridge building between cultures and after eleven years, they’re proud of the fact that they’ve met tens of thousands of people from all around the world, eager to learn about Māori culture. “It’s about bridging gaps in understanding,” says Maurice (Ngāti…

Christmas is about spending time with friends and whānau. Kāti Huirapa and Ngāi Te Ruahikihiki are once again celebrating the festive season together, as they have done for the last three years, this year at Ōtākou Marae.

The people of Koukourarata think of their beautiful little bay as heaven and “once you’ve found heaven, you never want to leave,” they say. And it’s true. There’s a quiet tranquility here that makes you realise how rushed the rest of the world is. You come upon Koukourarata (Port Levy) quite suddenly – after you’ve…

You don’t usually associate the South Westland climate with the cultivation of peppers, strawberries and bumper harvests of tomatoes but at Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio’s Te Tauraka Waka a Māui Marae at Bruce Bay, four hours south of Hokitika, hard work on the marae gardens have paid off. The tunnel houses and planter boxes have…

The Canterbury District Health Board has praised Canterbury marae for their leadership role following the earthquakes. “Marae played a vital, central role in the response and recovery after the earthquakes,” Emma Rawson of the Canterbury District Health Board told the Public Health Association’s annual conference. “Māori values like manaakitanga have been key – marae were…

The Te Waipounamu Māori Heritage Centre in Hokitika has re-branded and has been re-named Waewae Pounamu. General Manager of the centre, Francois Tumahai (Ngāi Tahu – Ngāti Waewae), says the renaming is part of a comprehensive rebranding that has been almost a year in the making. “It’s all about promoting the Ngāi Tahu Pounamu Authentication…